Following the emergence of news from the US, late last night Irish time, that Lance Armstrong is to be interview by Oprah Winfrey on TV on Thursday week, newspapers around the world have given significant coverage to the issue.
We put together some of that reaction here.
The Guardian newspaper in the UK
“The Oprah Winfrey Network's promise of a "no-holds barred" confessional from Lance Armstrong would be a break from the tested Oprah format. The reality is likely to be more cuddles than confrontation.”
“The Oprah-branded cable channel – run by Discovery, the broadcaster that sponsored Armstrong's team between 2004 and 2007 – promised a forensic trawll through the rider's "alleged doping scandal, years of accusations of cheating and charges of lying".
“Many believe that Winfrey will give Armstrong an easy ride, recalling her interview with Marion Jones in which the disgraced American sprinter claimed she took performance-enhancing drugs unintentionally in the wake of the Balco scandal.”
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Cycling journalist William Fotheringham put together 10 questions Oprah must ask Armstrong. You can read them by clicking here.
The Times, newspaper in the UK
“The news that Lance Armstrong has agreed to a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey is fascinating in itself. But until he answers the questions – next week, Friday morning, 2am GMT – the very fact that he has made this commitment itself raises numerous other questions. Will he confess? That is what this is all about.”
The Independent, newspaper in the UK
It has compiled a list of 10 questions it says Armstrong should be asked. These include:
- Did you routinely dope during your career as a professional cyclist and instruct and encourage others to do the same?
- Have you ever paid money to cycling or anti-doping authorities? If so, why?
- How did you explain this lying to your family, or did you lie to them, too?
New York Times, US newspaper
The Oprah Winfrey Network is a joint venture with Discovery Communications, the broadcaster that sponsored Armstrong’s team in 2005. The network’s logo was emblazoned across the victor’s yellow jersey Armstrong wore on the top step of the podium in Paris that year, as he lectured “the people that don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the skeptics.”
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Directly addressing those who accused him of doping that day, Armstrong said, “I’m sorry for you, I’m sorry you can’t dream big and I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles, but this is one hell of a race, this is a great sporting event and you should stand around and believe. You should believe in these athletes and you should believe in these people. I’m a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live and there’s no secrets — this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it.”
USA Today, US newspaper
“After years of vehement denials about doping, such prolonged silence practically qualifies as pleading the Fifth Amendment – declining to respond when almost nothing you can say will help your own cause, except maybe a full confession.
Not even a confession may help Armstrong much now, unless it's largely to relieve his conscience, according to legal analysts and the rules governing doping penalties.
For Armstrong, a confession would likely be a business decision – he's ineligible for life to compete in sanctioned events, and his sponsors have dropped him since the case went public in October. A cyclist who once dominated the Tour de France has been relegated to triathlons on the back roads of sports.”
Sydney Morning Herald, newspaper in Australia
“Scathing of anti-doping investigators, journalists and critics while in exile for his monumental sporting sins, Lance Armstrong had been restricting his public communiques to Twitter's 140-character limit.”
“Now apparently on the verge of telling all, the once-was-hero is submitting himself to a long-form public inquisition. Not to an anti-doping investigator, journalist or critic, however, but to the world's most famous talkshow host.”
“Oprah Winfrey announced the ''BREAKING NEWS'' (her emphasis) on her Twitter account, which has a following of 15.7 million, on Wednesday. Armstrong duly did his bit to spread the word by re-tweeting her post to his 3.8 million followers 15 minutes later.”
The Irish Times
The Texan, who did not co-operate with the USADA investigation, has remained silent since the sanction, although he opted not to appeal the decision.
Armstrong, who has shown an interest in competing in triathlons, also removed mention of his seven Tour wins on his Twitter profile.
Asked whether the 41-year-old was set to come clean about his drug-taking past Armstrong’s lawyer, Tim Herman, told the New York Times: “Lance has to speak for himself on that.”
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